Britain And Canada Concerned By Extradition Plans

The foreign ministers of Britain and Canada have issued a joint statement setting out their concerns over Hong Kong's proposal to change extradition laws, and urging the SAR government to slow down and consider alternatives.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said it was clear that the proposed changes to the Fugitive Offencers Ordinance had "generated significant debate", especially on the question of allowing extradition to the mainland.

"We are concerned about the potential effect of these proposals on the large number of UK and Canadian citizens in Hong Kong, on business confidence and on Hong Kong’s international reputation," they wrote

"Furthermore, we believe that there is a risk that the proposals could impact negatively on the rights and freedoms set down in the Sino-British Joint Declaration."

They said it was vital that extradition arrangements in Hong Kong were in line with the ‘one country, two systems’ principle and the SAR's high degree of autonomy. They said they had made those view clear in communications with Hong Kong officials.

The two urged the government to allow scrutiny of the bill, including by lawmakers, and to allow time to give proper consideration of all alternative options and safeguards.

Their intervention came less than two weeks before the amendments are due to go before a full meeting of the Legislative Council, after a bills committee that was set to scrutinise the proposal descended into chaos. The government wants to have the bill vetted by the end of the legislative year in July.